'Waiting for Lefty' ★★★

'Waiting for Lefty' ★★★

First performed in 1935, "Waiting for Lefty" was nominally based on events surrounding the New York City Taxi Strike of 1934. But it was really Clifford Odets railing against how the self-absorbed "boss class" was manipulating the Great Depression to the detriment, as the impoverished character Joe puts it, of "the black and blue boys." There are plenty of bruised working (or not working) folks in Chicago in 2011. And as you watch Kimberly Senior's enveloping, powerfully acted and emotional production, I'll wager you¿ll find the experience deeply complex. It feels like a reminder of how much America has changed, which makes it all the more worth seeing. -CHRIS JONESThrough Oct. 2 at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25 at 773-871-3000 or americanbluestheater.com

First performed in 1935, "Waiting for Lefty" was nominally based on events surrounding the New York City Taxi Strike of 1934. But it was really Clifford Odets railing against how the self-absorbed "boss class" was manipulating the Great Depression to the detriment, as the impoverished character Joe puts it, of "the black and blue boys." There are plenty of bruised working (or not working) folks in Chicago in 2011. And as you watch Kimberly Senior's enveloping, powerfully acted and emotional production, I'll wager you¿ll find the experience deeply complex. It feels like a reminder of how much America has changed, which makes it all the more worth seeing. -CHRIS JONESThrough Oct. 2 at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25 at 773-871-3000 or americanbluestheater.com

First performed in 1935, "Waiting for Lefty" was nominally based on events surrounding the New York City Taxi Strike of 1934. But it was really Clifford Odets railing against how the self-absorbed "boss class" was manipulating the Great Depression to the detriment, as the impoverished character Joe puts it, of "the black and blue boys." There are plenty of bruised working (or not working) folks in Chicago in 2011. And as you watch Kimberly Senior's enveloping, powerfully acted and emotional production, I'll wager you¿ll find the experience deeply complex. It feels like a reminder of how much America has changed, which makes it all the more worth seeing. -CHRIS JONESThrough Oct. 2 at the Biograph, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave.; $25 at 773-871-3000 or americanbluestheater.com